A New Addition to Bohemia
by Tina101
Summary: Roger and Mimi find a small girl in the middle of Alphabet City. Can someone in such a small package help them come to terms with their illness?
1. Chapter 1

**A New Addition to Bohemia**

**Chapter 1:**

Roger lay in bed with a sheet around his waist while Mimi pulled on something to wear to the Life. Mimi picked up a pair of boxers and threw them at Roger.

"Get your pale, white ass outta bed and get dressed," she ordered. Roger rolled his eyes. As Mimi walked past him, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down on top of him.

"No, I like it here with you," he said huskily before attacking Mimi's neck. A knock on the bedroom door shattered the moment.

"I'm leaving, I'll see you there," Mark said.

"Whatever," Roger replied. Mimi squirmed out of his grip and got to her feet.

"Later, I promise." Roger got up and pulled on his clothes. He wanted to spend more time with Mimi.

Once Mimi and Roger were dressed, they went out to the front room to grab their coats and shoes. Roger wedged Mimi between him and the wall and began to kiss her ferociously.

"Roger…we…need…to…go," Mimi said between kisses. Reluctantly, Roger stopped.

"But I don't wanna," he whined. Mimi wound her fingers through Roger's unruly hair and pecked him on the lips.

"I said later. Come on, let's go." Mimi entwined her fingers with Roger's and pulled him out the door.

Roger wrapped his arm around Mimi's shoulders and entwined his fingers with her right hand. Mimi wrapped her arms around his waist and held his free hand. Roger kissed the top of her head.

"I love you," he murmured in her ear. As the couple exited the building, Mimi saw a young girl, about four or five, sitting on the stoop. This caught Mimi as weird, but she figured that the young girl was just waiting for her parents to so she went back to Roger.

At the Life, the Bohemians were already drinking. The manager rolled his eyes when he saw Roger and Mimi.

"Glad to see that you two finally decided to join us!" Collins announced. Roger sat down and pulled Mimi onto his lap.

"We were busy," he defended.

"Oh, you guys have fun?" Maureen asked rather loudly. Mimi reached across the table and grabbed Collins' beer.

"Our sex life is none of your damn business," she said before taking a sip of the beer and returning it to Collins. "We don't ask you about your sex life."

"No, you just offer it up freely," Roger said simply. Mimi elbowed him in the stomach, and Maureen stuck out her tongue.

It was after midnight by the time all the Bohemians emptied out of the Life. Maureen stumbled drunkenly down the street. Joanne grabbed her lover's shoulders and held her steady.

"See you all tomorrow," Joanne called over her shoulder before leaving with Maureen. Roger began to kiss Mimi again.

"Can't you guys at least wait until we get home?" Mark asked. The kiss broke off. "Thank you." Roger took Mimi's hand, and they began to walk down the street towards Avenue B.

When Mark, Roger and Mimi got to their building, Mimi stopped. Curled up on a step, fast asleep, was the same little girl from earlier.

"What's wrong?" Mark asked.

"That girl, she was here when we left for the Life earlier," Mimi replied.

"Come to think of it, she was here when I left for Collins' place this afternoon," Mark said. Mimi knelt down in front of the little girl's sleeping form and gently shook her shoulder.

"Sweetie, sweetie wake up."  
"Mimi, what are you doing?" Roger hissed. Mimi shot him a dirty look. The girl's brown eyes opened.

"Zia?" she asked sleepily.

"No sweetie. Who's Zia?"

"My sister. She said that she had to go somewhere and would be back later."  
"When was that?" Mark asked.

"This morning." Mimi shed her jacket and wrapped it around the girl's shoulders.

"It's the middle of January, why don't you come home with us?" Mimi stood up and picked the small girl up.

"Mimi," Roger warned. Mimi shot him another dirty look and went inside. Roger and Mark looked at each other and went inside too.

Meanwhile, Zia watched from the shadows across the street. Good, her plan had worked. Her little sister was now someone else's problem, not hers. She was free to do whatever she wanted now; she could now live her life as she wanted.

Mimi carried the small girl up to the loft and set her down on the duct tape covered couch. Mark and Roger pulled off their jackets and tossed them on a chair.

"What's your name?" Mark asked.

"Dani."

"Dani, when's the last time you had something to eat?" Mimi asked. Dani shrugged.

"I dunno."  
"Are you hungry?" Dani nodded. Mimi leapt into action. "Roger, could you heat up some soup? Mark, I need you to get a fire going, it's freezing in here." Mark listened to Mimi. Roger, however, hung back near the door. "Roger!"  
"Okay, okay; keep your pants on," Roger grumbled as he sulked off to the kitchen to follow Mimi's orders.

While Mark and Roger carried out Mimi's commands, Mimi sat next to Dani on the couch. Dani was still shivering pretty badly.

"Do you want a blanket?" Mimi asked. Dani nodded.

"Yes please." Mimi got to her feet.

"I'll be right back." She went into her and Roger's bedroom and grabbed a spare blanket out of the closet. When she went out to the other room, Mark was trying to talk to Dani.

"How old are you?" he asked. Mimi wrapped the blanket around Dani's shoulders and sat on the arm of the couch.

"Four and a half," Dani replied quietly.

"Wow, you're such a big girl." Mimi smiled; Mark was so good with kids.

"Do you have any kids?" chuckling, Mark shook his head.

"No, but I have two nephews and a niece out in Scarsdale." Roger handed Dani a bowl of soup. Mimi stood up.

"Come on, you can help me," she said. Without waiting for an answer, Mimi dragged Roger off to their room.

Once alone in the bedroom, Mimi began to dig around the closet. Roger leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Mimi, we need to talk about this," he said firmly. "This isn't right; we could be kidnapping a little girl." Mimi spun around.

"Or we could be saving a little girl's life. The streets are a scary place at night; they even scared the hell out of me. She's not even five years old, and her sister left her on her own on the streets of Alphabet City; obviously someone doesn't want her." Roger sighed. Mimi went back to the closet.

"I'll talk to Joanne about it tomorrow." Mimi produced a sleeping bag and pillow.

"I want Dani to stay with us."

"Like adopt her?" Mimi shrugged. She set up the sleeping bag on the floor. "You just met her! besides, you don't know if she needs to be adopted."

"I have a feeling in my gut. Besides, she's already warming up to Mark." Roger looked at Mark and Dani; they were talking and chatting happily.

"First we need to talk to Joanne," he said firmly. Mimi put her hand on his cheek and pecked him on the lips.

"Thanks baby!" she exclaimed happily before going back out to the front room with Dani and Mark.

Dani yawned. She leaned against the arm of the couch and closed her eyes. Mimi sat down and rubbed her back.

"Time for you to go to bed," she said as she gently pried the empty bowl of soup from Dani's small hands. Mimi stood up and picked up Dani's small form. "Goodnight you guys."

"Goodnight Meems," Mark said.

"Night," Roger said.

Mimi carefully put Dani on the bed and pulled out one of Roger's band t-shirts for her to wear. Once Dani was changed, Mimi helped her into the sleeping bag.

"Now, if you need anything, Roger and I will be right here, okay?" Dani nodded.

"Are you an angel?" she asked. Mimi stopped. "My Mommy said that they're the nicest people in the world who help anyone." Mimi kissed Dani's forehead.

"I'm just someone who's worried about you. Now, it's late, time for you to go to sleep." Mimi stood up. she got up, got changed and went to bed herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Pictures of Dani are on my homepage (go to my profile first).

Tina101**  
**

**Chapter 2:**

When Mimi got up around eleven, Dani was still fast asleep. Mimi took a good look at their small guest. Her face was covered with dirt, and her blonde hair was all matted. Mimi quietly slipped out to the front room.

Roger and Mark were sitting at the table, drinking coffee and talking, when Mimi emerged from the bedroom. She got herself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter.

"Mimi, Dani can't stay here," Roger said.

"Why?"

"Look at where we live," Roger replied. "She'd be better off in foster care." Mimi slammed down her mug.

"You don't know _anything_! Foster care is the worse place for _anyone_!" Mimi turned to Mark. "Mark, you don't agree with this insanity, do you?" Mark sighed.

"I'm staying out of this battle."

"But you live here too!" Mimi argued. "Say we vote," she said hopefully after remembering how Mark had interacted with Dani the night before.

"We can't vote on a little girl's life!" Roger exclaimed. He and Mimi were staring daggers at each other.

"Yes we can, it's the only way to come to a fair decision. You say no, I say yes; Mark, it's up to you." Mark got up. This little girl's life hung in the balance. It was all up to him. Mark sighed.

"I'm sorry, Roger," he said.

"You're agreeing with this madness!? How will we afford it? You don't know what you're getting ourselves into!"

"I do know what a hell-hole foster care is. Cindy's a social worker, remember?" Mark paused. "Cindy, of course! She's getting rid of a whole bunch of my niece's stuff."

"And?" Mimi asked.

"We could ask for some of it. Rachel's seven." Roger grabbed his jacket off the chair where he had put it the night before.

"Whatever, I'm going out." Mimi followed after him.

"Roger, baby, wait!" Roger left, completely ignoring Mimi's pleas. When Mimi turned around, Dani was standing in the doorway to the bedroom.

Mimi's face softened. She went over to Dani. Dani popped her thumb in her mouth and rubbed her eyes with her grimy fist.

"Did we wake you?" Mimi asked gently. Dani shook her head.

"Are you going to send me away?" Mimi knelt down in front of Dani so they were at the same eye-level.

"We're going to try not to." Dani coughed a little. "You know what; I have some bubble bath, say we get you cleaned up?" Dani nodded eagerly. Mimi stood up. "Okay then, let's go." Dani followed Mimi to the bathroom.

Mimi set up a warm bubble bath and plopped Dani down in the middle of the tub. Dani relaxed in the warm water.

"Where's that other man?" she asked. Mimi dug around for a new bottle of shampoo.

"Roger? He went out for a little while." Dani's eyes shifted downwards.

"He doesn't like me, does me?" Mimi rubbed Dani's back.

"Roger's my boyfriend. He's a very complicated guy. Give him some time to get used to this. Don't you worry about it." Dani began to play with the bubbles in front of her while Mimi washed her hair. "You have such pretty hair. Es muy bonita."

"What's that mean?"

"It means that it's very pretty in Spanish."

"You know Spanish?" Mimi nodded. "Can you teach me?"  
"Maybe another time. Right now, lean back." Dani leaned back so her hair floated on top of the water. Mimi rinsed out her dirty blonde locks. "There we go. Now you wash your body." There was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Meems, I'm leaving for work. I left Cindy's number by the phone. Just tell her that you're a friend of mine," Mark said through the door.

"Okay."

"Oh, and Maureen's coming over when she gets up. I'd expect Her Majesty to grace us with her presence with her usual grand entrance around two thirty or so." Mimi laughed.

"Okay, bye Mark."

"Bye Mimi, bye Dani."  
"Bye!" Dani chirped. Mimi got up and grabbed a clean towel out from under the sink for Dani.

"Come on princesa, let's get you dressed." Dani climbed out of the tub, and Mimi wrapped the towel around her.

"Why won't you teach me Spanish?" Dani couched. "Please?" she gasped. Mimi looked worried. She felt Dani's forehead.

"How long were you living on the streets?" Dani shrugged. "Let's get you changed into something warm." Mimi guided Dani to her room to get her dressed.

Mimi had Dani into one of Roger's hoodies. The over-sized forest green sweatshirt hung like a dress on Dani. The sleeves barely hung above the floor. Dani was still coughing.

"How long have you been coughing?" Dani shrugged. "Are you cold?" Dani sat on the couch with her knees drawn to her chest.

"A little." Mimi wrapped a blanket around Dani and went to get a fire going. When she turned back around, Dani was fast asleep. Mimi put another blanket over her sleeping form and went to go make herself something to eat.

Around two o'clock that afternoon, Mimi was on the couch next to Dani's sleeping form when the door was thrown open. Maureen froze, mouth open, about to make a grand entrance.

"Whoa, there's a kid!" she exclaimed. Mimi got up. moaning, Dani changed positions. "Where'd she come from?" Mimi grabbed Maureen's arm and dragged her into the kitchen.

"Her name is Dani."  
"Dani?"  
"Yes, Dani. We found her on our way back from the Life. Her sister left her on the front stoop sometime yesterday _morning_."

"Who the hell would do that to a child?" Mimi shrugged.

"I dunno, but I want to adopt her."

"What!? Meems, look at where you live! You have no money, no kid stuff, and what about the AIDS?" Mimi shook her head.

"I don't know. All I know is this feels right. There's something about her. I dunno, there's something there I can't explain. It's like she was sent here, to us, for a reason."

"Like Angel sent her?" Mimi shrugged.

"I hope so. Roger and I will need to talk to Joanne."

"Pookie has to work late today. So you _really_ want to adopt her?"

"If I can. Roger's completely against it right now. He wanted to just send her away to foster care!"

"Foster care isn't _that_ bad." Mimi glared at Maureen.

"How would you know?" she demanded. Maureen put her hands up in defense.

"Okay, okay, sorry. Touchy topic. I'm sure that Pookie will help you in any way she can." Mimi began to dig around the kitchen to find something to eat.

An hour later, Mimi decided to call Cindy before she forgot. Dani was still fast asleep on the couch with her thumb in her mouth.

"Mo, I've gotta make a call, can you keep an eye on Dani?" Maureen looked reluctant to agree. "I'll be right out on the fire escape. Please?"  
"Fine." Maureen sat on the couch by Dani's feet and picked up a magazine. Mimi took the phone and Cindy's number out to the fire escape where she could talk to Cindy privately.

As soon as Mimi had climbed out the window, Dani's eyes opened. She sat up and looked at Maureen with confusion written across her face.

"Who are you?" she asked. Maureen looked up from her reading.

"I'm Mimi's friend, Maureen," she replied.

"Where's Mimi?"  
"She's out on the fire escape talking to someone on the phone." Dani's bottom lip began to tremble.

"But I want Mimi!" she wailed. Dani's face scrunched up. Maureen sighed; this wasn't going to be pretty. Dani let out a piercing wail.

Mimi dialed the number Mark had left to call Cindy and held the phone up to her ear. It was slightly warm out for a New York City winter day.

"Hello?"  
"Cindy? My name's Mimi, I'm a friend of your brother's," Mimi said.

"Oh hi, what can I do for you?"  
"I was wondering if…" Mimi stopped. "I'm so sorry, could you wait for a minute?"  
"Of course." Mimi went back inside. Dani was wailing and coughing while Maureen struggled to calm her down.

"Mimi!" Dani cried.

"I'm right here, Dani. Calm down." Dani stopped at the sound of Mimi's voice. Mimi went back to Cindy. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Is that your daughter?"  
"We're in the process of adopting her. Mark said that you were getting rid of a bunch of your daughter's stuff. I was wondering if I could buy some of it from you."

"You don't have to pay me for any of it."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. How old is she?"

"Four and a half."

"I have a bunch of Rachel's old clothes I can bring by. I also have an old bedroom set and some old toys if you want."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Of course, what do we need with all of it? Just let me know when we can bring everything by."  
"The sooner the better, but it's your call."  
"Today's Thursday, so how about Saturday? Is that okay?"  
"Yeah, that's fine." Dani's coughing filled the loft. Cindy heard it through the phone.

"Do you want a humidifier too? It could help out with that cough." Mimi stopped to think. Dani's cough _did_ sound pretty bad.

"Sure, thanks."

"Anytime. Oh, before you go, where do you live?"

"In the loft with Mark."

"Oh, okay. I'll see you on Saturday."

"Thanks, bye."

"Goodbye." Mimi hung up the phone. Based on Mark's complaints on his family, that had gone better than expected.

Dani rushed over to Mimi with surprising speed and latched her arms firmly around the dancer's legs with all her might.

"Where'd you go?" she asked. Mimi picked her up. Dani wrapped her arms around Mimi's neck.

"I had to go make a call." Dani coughed. Mimi felt her forehead. "You feel a little warm. Maureen got to her feet.

"Meems, maybe I should take her so yo don't get sick," she said. Dani tightened her grip around Mimi's neck. Mimi rubbed her back.

"Its okay, Maureen's one of my best friends. She's really nice and really fun." Dani reluctantly went over to Maureen. "There you go chica. Now, how about lunch?"

"That better include coffee!" Maureen announced. Rolling her eyes, Mimi went into the kitchen to make some sandwiches.

Mimi began to dig around the kitchen for food to make lunch. Maureen put Dani down on the couch. She felt bad for the little girl who had to be bored out of her mind. Suddenly, she got an idea to entertain Dani.

"Hey Mimi, where's your deck of cards?" she asked.

"In the cabinet," Mimi replied without looking up from what she was doing. "Oh Mo, no blackjack, poker, strip poker or fifty-two pickup." Maureen scowled but still retrieved the deck of tattered cards. Shuffling them expertly, she sat down across from Dani.

"Ever played war, since Mimi won't let us play any _fun_ games?"

"So sue me."  
"For what? That hunk of junk you try to pass off as a TV?" Maureen scoffed. She turned back to Dani. "So, ever play war?" Dani shook her head. "I'll teach you, it's easy." Maureen dealt the cards and explained the game to Dani.

Not even five minutes later, the loft door slid open. Roger stopped for a second when he saw Dani and Maureen playing cards on the couch. He went over to Mimi and kissed her cheek softly.

"Where'd you go?" Mimi asked.

"Life Support with Collins. I guess I needed to talk about this with someone." Mimi patted Roger's cheek playfully.

"I'm so proud of you for talking about your feelings." Roger shook his head. "What did you come up with?" Roger glanced over at Dani.

"This feels right, but I'm worried about what'll happen when we get sick." Mimi wrapped her arms around Roger's waist.

"No day but today. We'll cross that bridge when it comes, okay?" Mimi paused. "I love you." Roger kissed her forehead.

"I love you too." Mimi broke free of Roger and finished making Dani her sandwich.

Mimi sat down on the couch next to Dani and put her sandwich on the coffee table. Dani began to cough pretty badly.

"I'm really worried about that cough," Mimi said as she felt Dani's forehead. "I want you to relax, okay?"

Mimi sat on the couch and watch as slowly, Maureen accumulated more and more chards. Finally, Maureen threw down her deck of cards.

"Okay, I'm done losing to a three year old!" she announced.

"I'm four and a half!" Dani exclaimed.

"Sorry, a four and a half year old. You win; I owe you an ice cream or something." Maureen got up. "I'm gonna go surprise Pookie at work. Feel better, Dani." Maureen grabbed her purse and left to go see Joanne at work.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

The next day, Mimi decided that Dani was in desperate need of underwear, socks and sneakers. However, she didn't want to expose Dani to even more germs and risk getting her even sicker than she already was. Luckily, Mark had the day off. Mimi got dressed and emerged from her bedroom. Dani was already up and eating breakfast with Mark.

"Mark, can you watch Dani for about two hours? I've gotta run to Dollar General," Mimi asked.

"Sure." Mimi looked around the loft.

"Where's my boyfriend?" Mark shrugged.

"I dunno. He came in, took the classified section and left." Mimi was surprised by that.

"You're joking, right?" Dani looked at Mimi.

"Why is that a bad thing?" she asked.

"It's not a bad thing; it's just a surprising thing." Dani went back to her cereal. "I'll be back in a few hours. Be good, Dani."

"I will." Mimi kissed the top of Dani's head and felt her cheek and forehead.

"Make sure she rests; she's still warm." Mark nodded.

"I will." Mimi grabbed her purse and leopard print jacket and left for the store.

Mimi walked down the children section of Dollar General. Everything was so new to her. She had written down Dani's shoe size and the size of her underwear. All the clothes were so adorable; Mimi had to resist buying everything. Mimi bought several packs of socks and underwear, some hair things, sneakers and children's cough medicine. She also bought some Pringles for Roger. Mimi paid for her items and left to go back to the loft.

When Mimi got back to the loft, Roger was sitting on the couch talking on the phone. Mark was reading Dani a book.

"Mimi just walked in, why don't you talk to her?" Roger said. Mimi sat on the arm of the couch next to Roger.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Joanne." Mimi took the phone from Roger and held it up to her ear.

"Hey Jo, what's up?"  
"Maureen and Roger told me about Dani. This is a really touchy topic. You need to find her sister."  
"I know, but she just left her on the streets of Alphabet City with absolutely _nothing_!"

"I know that. If I can prove that Dani was in a dangerous environment, you might not need the sister's consent to adopt Dani."

"So you'll help?"  
"Of course I will! I'll stop by on Sunday afternoon to talk to you and Roger. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll see you and Maureen then." Mimi said goodbye to Joanne and hung up the phone.

"How'd the job search go?" Mimi asked. Shrugging, Roger grabbed his guitar from on the couch next to him.

"I dunno, good, I guess," he replied.

"Did you get a job?" Mimi asked hopefully. A smile spread across Roger's face. "You did, didn't you!?" Mark looked up from his book.

"Yeah, I did." Letting out a squeal, Mimi threw her arms around Roger's neck and kissed his cheek.

"I'm so proud of you! Where do you work?"

"I teach guitar lessons down at the music shop on Avenue E." Mimi pressed her lips against Roger's. "Damn, if I had known I'd get something like that, I would have gotten a real job _ages_ ago!"

"Hello, there's a kid in the room!" Mark exclaimed.

"Oh Dani, come here. I got you something to help you with that cough." Dani slid off Mark's lap and went over to Mimi. Mimi pulled out a bottle of cough medicine.

"My cough's better, I feel fine," Dani argued. She began to cough.

"Come on sweetie." Mimi climbed off the couch. "Please?"

"No!" Dani yelled before clamping her hands over her mouth. Mimi picked her up. Dani began to scream and cry. "No, no, no, no, no! it tastes yucky! No!" Mimi sat down on the couch.

"Come on, querida, calm down." Mimi hoped that the Spanish that Dani seemed so fascinated with would calm her down. Instead, Dani began to kick her feet. "Can someone _please_ help me?" Roger leaned over and pulled Dani onto his lap. He wrapped his strong arms around Dani's flailing arms.

"Calm down, calm down," Roger whispered in her ear. It didn't work. Mimi carefully measured out the cough syrup. Dani clamped her mouth shut.

"Mark, can you help please?" Mark got up and gently pried open Dani's mouth. Mimi poured the liquid into Dani's screaming mouth. Dani sat there on Roger's lap, dazed. Mimi rubbed her arm. "See, there you go. That wasn't so bad, was it?" Dani slid off Roger's lap.

"Dani, are you okay?" Roger asked. Dani doubled over and threw-up. "Aww, shit," Roger mumbled. Mimi got up and scooped Dani up into her arms.

"Poor thing," she cooed. "You got so worked up that you got yourself sick. Dani began to cough.

"I don't feel well," she croaked.

"Let's get you to bed. Guys, can you clean that up please?" Mimi called over her shoulder. Roger and Mark looked at each other. "Thanks!"

Mark grabbed the mop and bucket out of the closet and filled the bucket with soapy water. He began to clean up Dani's mess.

"You want help?" Roger asked. Mark shook his head.

"Nah, I've got it." Mark finished cleaning up and dumped the dirty water down the toilet. As he came out of the bathroom, Collins came bursting into the loft.

"Hey you guys!" he exclaimed. Collins stopped and looked around. "Where's Mimi?"  
"Putting Dani to bed," Roger replied. Collins flopped down on one of the chairs.

"That little girl that you guys found?" Roger and Mark gave Collins a confused look. "I talked to Maureen last night; she told me. So, are we looking at a mini-Bohemian on our hands?"

"Right now, we're looking at a sick Bohemian," Mimi replied as she came out of the bedroom.

"Hey Meems," Collins said. Mimi leaned over and kissed Collins' cheek. "Is your little guest asleep?" Mimi slid onto Roger's lap.

"Yeah, she was out the second her head hit the pillow. I'm worried about that cough of hers."

"Once she can keep her cough medicine down, she'll be fine," Mark said. Mimi leaned against Roger. She hoped that Mark was right.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Someone knocked on the loft door. Mimi got up and answered it. Dani poked her head out from behind Mimi's legs. She shrank back from Cindy.

"Mimi?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah, hi." Mimi shook Cindy's hand. "Come on in." Cindy grabbed a large trash bag from next to her feet and followed Mimi inside. "I can't thank you enough for giving us all this stuff."

"It's no problem." Mimi looked at Cindy. She had the same blue eyes, blonde hair and pale skin as Mark. There was no doubt that they were related. "The furniture is in the van downstairs."

"Mark and Roger are at work, so we'll have to move them up here." Cindy lead Mimi down to the moving van on the street below.

Mimi and Cindy spent the greater part of an hour moving the twin bed, dresser, mattress, drawers and nightstand up to the loft and Dani's room. Cindy also brought three boxes of toys and books for Dani and two large garbage bags of clothes. Dani sat on the couch and watched Cindy and Mimi move around. Finally, Mimi put the humidifier down in Dani's room.

"Wow, thank you," she said. Cindy waved off the comment.

"Don't mention it; I'm happy to help." Dani began to cough in the other room. Her cough rocked through the loft. "I hope she feels better." Mimi sighed.

"So do I."

once Cindy had left, Mimi set to work setting up Dani's room. She grabbed the toolbox from under the kitchen sink, tied back her hair and began to put together Dani's bed. Dani stood in the doorway.

"Can I help?" she asked. Mimi looked up from what she was doing.

"Why don't you go through that box of toys right there?" she suggested. Dani didn't need telling twice. She ripped open the box and pulled out as many toys that she could.

When Mark and Roger got home from work that evening, there were toys strewn all across the loft. Roger sighed.

"Looks like your sister was here," he said. Mark gave him a look that said, 'you think!?' He and Roger followed the toys to Dani's room. Dani was lying on her stomach on the floor in her room coloring.

"Mimi was busy," Mark said. "Dani, where's Mimi?" Dani looked up from her coloring.

"In her room getting changed." Roger went to go see Mimi.

Mimi was pulling on a pair of jeans when the bedroom door opened. Roger wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"You got a lot done," he said. Mimi turned around in his arms.

"Yep, see, I don't need a macho man like you." Mimi wrapped her arms around Roger's neck. Roger began to force Mimi to back up.

"Oh you don't, do you?" Smiling, Mimi shook her head.

"Nope."

"Then whatever shall I do?" Roger back Mimi up so she fell onto the bed. He pinned her under him and kissed her neck. Mimi wrapped her legs around Roger's neck and pressed her lips against his. Just when Roger got comfortable with this, Mimi flipped them over. She took Roger's face in her hands and continued to kiss him. She began to run her fingers through his hair as she straddled his hips. Roger's arms found Mimi's waist. Mimi left a trail of kisses down his jaw line to his ear.

"I love you," she whispered in his ear.

"I love you too." Mimi began to nuzzle Roger's neck affectionately. They were both happy to have their bedroom to themselves again.

Around noon the next day, Maureen and Joanne arrived at the loft. Mimi was sitting on the couch reading Dani a book when they arrived.

"Hey Dani!" Maureen chirped.

"Hi Maureen," Dani said, which promptly turned into coughing. Mimi rubbed her small back until she stopped.

"Hi Dani, I'm Joanne," Joanne said as she sat down in a vacant chair. Dani smiled shyly. "I'm here to talk to you about Zia."

"Zia left me all alone."

"I know. Do you know any of Zia's friends that would know where she is?" Dani stopped to think.

"There was this man," she started slowly. "He had hair like Roger's but dark and a face like Collins'."

"You mean Black like me?" Dani shook her head.

"No, he had a beard like him."

"You mean a goatee and a mustache," Mimi said. Dani nodded. Mimi looked at Joanne and Maureen. "The Man," she said gravely. Dani began to cough.

"Come on, Dani, let's get you some water," Maureen said as she stood up. Dani got up and followed her to the kitchen. Maureen handed her a napkin. "Here, cough into this so you don't get us all sick." Nodding, Dani coughed into the napkin. Once she was done, Maureen noticed something on the napkin. She held it up and said, "Hey Meems, you should see this." Mimi stood up.

"What is it?" she asked. Maureen handed Mimi the napkin. Sure enough, there was blood on it.

**A/N: **If you liked "Off-Camera" and "Off-Set" I'm posting an original story (no Rent cast or anything like that) on the same site that's like them both. Link is on my profile.

Tina101


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Wide-eyed, Mimi looked at Maureen. Joanne got up and joined them in the kitchen. Dani continued to cough.

"What is it?" Joanne asked.

"She's coughing up blood," Maureen replied quietly. Mimi picked Dani up.

"I'm calling 911," she said firmly.

"I've got it," Maureen said as she rushed past Mimi to call for an ambulance. Dani continued to cough. Mimi rubbed her back.

"It's okay, help's on the way," she cooed. Dani's coughing didn't subside.

After what seemed like an eternity, the paramedics arrived. Dani was still in Mimi's arms coughing horribly.

"Put her on the stretcher," one of the paramedics ordered. Mimi carefully laid Dani down on the stretcher.

"Mimi, don't leave me," she pleaded. A paramedic put an oxygen mask on her.

"I won't," Mimi promised.

"We'll wait for Roger and Mark," Joanne said. She was the only one that was thinking straight. Mimi followed the paramedics down to the ambulance.

At the hospital, Dani was whisked down the hall to the Emergency Room. Her cries for Mimi carried down the crowded hallway.

"Mimi! Mimi!" she screamed. Mimi stood frozen in the middle of the hallway. She finally broke out of her daze when a nurse bumped into her. Mimi went into the waiting room and curled up on a vacant chair.

The next thing Mimi knew, someone was gently shaking her shoulder. When her eyes fluttered open, she saw Roger crouched down across from her.

"Roger! Dani, she was coughing up blood." Roger stroked Mimi's cheek.

"I know, I know. We just got here. Have you heard anything?" Mimi shook her head.

"I fell asleep. I shouldn't have, but I did." Mimi leaned forward into Roger's open arms. "There could be a million things wrong with her."

"It's okay, it's okay baby," Roger whispered in her ear. The guilt of not helping Dani sooner was eating Mimi up.

several minutes later, a doctor came into the room and announced, "Is there anyone here for Dani Rios?" Mimi stood up.

"Yeah, I am," she replied.

"You can go see her now." Roger got up too. "Are you her parents?"

"She's my friend's sister. She's staying with us while my friend's out of town," Mimi replied easily. The doctor accepted the answer. He led Roger and Mimi down the hall.

"So what's wrong with Dani?" Roger asked.

"She has bronchitis. We want to keep her here overnight for observation, but she can go home tomorrow." The doctor stopped outside a door. "Well, here you go."

Roger and Mimi went inside Dani's room. Dani was lying on her hospital bed. She was hooked up to an oxygen machine and an IV.

"Dani?" Mimi asked. Roger hung back near the door as Mimi sat next to Dani's bed. "Dani honey, are you awake?" Slowly, Dani's eyes opened.

"Hi Mimi, Roger."

"Hey Dani," Roger said quietly.

"How are you feeling?" Mimi asked.

"Okay." Dani began to cough. Once she was done, she asked, "Where's everyone else?"

"Out in the waiting room. Do you want to see them?" Dani nodded eagerly.

"I'll go get them," Roger offered before leaving the room. Mimi turned her attention back to Dani.

Roger and the rest of the Bohemians entered Dani's room. Dani smiled cheerfully when she saw all of her new friends. Maureen leaned over and kissed Dani's forehead.

"Hey honey," she said as she sat in one of the empty chairs. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah." Mark stood near the window with Roger. Collins produced a teddy bear from behind his back.

"Here cutie, this is for you," he said as he handed Dani the stuffed animal. Dani let out a squeal which promptly turned into a cough.

"Thank you, Collins," she said when the coughing had stopped.

"You're welcome, but in order to keep it, you have to get better." Dani smiled.

"I will," she promised. She squeezed the teddy bear as tight as possible to her chest.

As the doctor said, Dani was set to be released from the hospital. But before she could go, a nurse had to teach Roger and Mimi how to give Dani her inhaler.

"So just plug it in and make sure the medicine is in it. Have her take deep breaths for ten minutes three times a day, got it?" Roger and Mimi nodded. The nurse packed up the machine and handed it to Roger.

"Thanks," he said. Dani sat patiently in a wheelchair waiting to go home. Under her arm was her teddy bear from Collins.

"Ready to go?" Mimi asked.

"Yes!" Dani replied happily. The nurse wheeled Dani down to the entrance where a cab was waiting for them.

Dani practically flew into the loft the second Mimi slid open the door. She leapt onto Mark's lap with her teddy bear still with her. Mark chuckled.

"Hi Dani."

"Hi Mark! I'm home!"

"I know. I can tell that you're feeling better." Dani squeezed her teddy bear close.

"Yeah, I feel much better." Roger flopped down on one of the chairs while Mimi put Dani's medicine away.

"I dunno what they gave her at the hospital, but she's bouncing off the walls," Roger said. Mimi went and curled up on his lap.

"Say we watch this new movie I got you?" Mark suggested as he handed Dani a video tape off the coffee table.

"Oh!" Dani studied the cover for a second before looking at Mark. "What's it called?"

"_The Lion King_." Mimi got up off Roger's lap. She had been unusually quiet since they had gotten home.

"I'm going to go lie down," she said quietly. Roger and Mark looked at each other as Mimi retreated to the bedroom. Roger stood up too.

"I'll go talk to her." As Roger went to go talk to Mimi, Mark put _The Lion King_ in for Dani to watch.

Mimi was curled up on her side of the bed facing the wall. Based on body language, Roger figured that she was crying, but he couldn't be sure.

"Meems?" he asked quietly as he sat on the bed and rubbed Mimi's back. "What's wrong, Mimi?" Wiping her eyes, Mimi sat up.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she lied. Roger ran his fingers through Mimi's wild hair.

"Don't you lie to me. I'm your boyfriend, I love you, talk to me." Mimi slipped her small hand into Roger's larger one.

"Dani's so lucky. I wish I had met people like us at her age. It would have been so much easier when I was growing up." Roger was confused.

"What are you talking about?" Roger had never heard Mimi talk about her childhood or growing up.

"My Mom was only fourteen when I was born. She tried for three years to raise me, but I just got in the way. So, I was dumped into foster care."

"Which is why you wouldn't do that to Dani." Mimi nodded.

"It was the worst time of my life. That scar on my back is from when one of my foster dads threw me through a sliding glass door." Roger wrapped his arms around Mimi and held her close.

"Oh Meems."

"I see me whenever I look at Dani. She's so adorable and full of life. I will do _anything_ to keep her out of foster care. I won't let her turn into a whore and a junkie like I was." Roger rubbed Mimi's back.

"It's okay, it's okay honey. I wish you had told me sooner." Roger leaned back against the headboard and rested her cheek against the top of Mimi's head.

About halfway through the movie, Mark got up to see what Roger and Mimi were up to. When he saw them curled up in bed together, he grabbed his camera. They looked so peaceful together.

"What are you doing?" Dani asked.

"Getting a shot for my movie," Mark replied quietly as he closed the door to Roger and Mimi's room. "Are you hungry?" Dani shook her head. Mark sat back down on the couch and continued to watch the movie.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

Joanne sat on the couch next to Dani. They were taking a second crack at trying to figure out where Zia was. Mimi was in the kitchen doing dishes.

"Now Dani, what did Zia do for a living?" Joanne asked. Dani stopped to think.

"She danced, at a place with loud music and a big colorful sign about a cat or something." Dani giggled. "She would dance in her bathing suit." Mimi stopped. she dried off her hands and began to dig through a junk drawer for a picture. Finally, she found it.

"Dani is this Zia?" she asked as she showed Dani a photo of her and a few other dancers. Dani nodded.

"Yeah, that's her!" Mimi handed the photo to Joanne.

"Where did you get this?" Joanne asked.

"Zia had the vanity next to mine. She worked the shift before me, so we saw each other as we were changing. I should have put two and two together sooner!"

"Meems, it's fine. Do you know where to find Zia now?"

"Yeah; give me the papers, and I'll get them signed." Dani's head whipped around to face Mimi.

"Can I go with you to see Zia?" she pleaded hopefully.

"No sweetie, you'll have to stay here with Mark and Roger." Dani scowled. "I'm sorry honey." Dani crossed her arms over her chest. She wanted to see Zia.

Roger didn't get home from work until nearly eight o'clock that night. Mimi was sitting on the cough braiding Dani's wet hair.

"Oh good, you're home," she said as she finished up Dani's hair and stood up. "Where's Mark?"

"He went to Life Support with Collins, I think. Why?" Mimi dragged Roger into the kitchen and lowered her voice.

"I know where Zia is, and I need you to watch Dani for about an hour." Roger shook his head.

"Oh no, Meems, I can't." Mimi crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why not?"

"I don't know how to take care of her," Roger replied quietly.

"Don't you worry about that, it's easy. I've already fed and bathed Dani. I'll be back by nine thirty, and I'll put her to bed then. Come on Roger, please?" Mimi pouted and batted her eyelashes. Roger sighed. "_Please_?"

"Fine."

"Thanks, Rog. You know, once the papers come through, you'll be Dani's Dad." Mimi went to go find her shoes. Roger rushed after her.

"Wait, Meems, we've gotta talk about this!" he called. Mimi grabbed her boots and sat on the edge of the bed. "I don't know shit about raising a kid!"

"Which is why you're staying with Dani for a little while." Mimi slid on her boots, stood up and patted Roger's cheek playfully. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." Mimi grabbed her coat and went out to the front room where Dani was doing a puzzle. "Okay Dani, I'll be back around nine thirty." Dani stood up.

"Why?" she asked.

"I've gotta go run an errand." Mimi kissed the top of Dani's head. "Be good for Roger, okay?"

"I don't want you to go!" Dani cried. Mimi picked her up. Dani clung to her neck.

"I'll be back in time to tuck you in," Mimi promised. "Now, go to Roger." Dani shook her head.

"Come here, Dani." Roger gently pried Dani away from Mimi.

"I don't want Mimi to go!" she shrieked. "Mimi!" Mimi gave Roger an apologetic look and left.

Roger sat on the couch with Dani on his lap and handed her her teddy bear. Dani continued to cry for about ten more minutes before finally calming down.

"There you go," Roger said. "I promise, no matter what Maureen and Mimi told you, I'm not that scary." Dani cracked a smile. She slid off Roger's lap and stared at him with her almond shaped eyes. "You feeling better now?"

"Yeah," Dani replied quietly. Roger leaned back on the couch.

"So…what do you want to do?" he asked. Dani shrugged. "Come on, Mimi, the strict one, is out. What do you want to do?" Dani giggled.

"Can we play a game?"

"Sure. What game?" Dani scurried off to her room. She returned a minute later with a box hugged to her chest.

"This one!" she exclaimed happily as she handed Roger the box. Roger looked at it.

"_Perfection_? Okay, this looks easy enough." Roger slid onto the floor and set up the game for him and Dani to play.

Meanwhile, Mimi walked into the CatScratch Club. Already, there were men waiting for the first shift of dancers to start.

"Hey Mimi, what are you doing here?" one of the bartenders called.

"I've gotta talk to someone," Mimi replied before continuing on her way back to the dressing room. In her purse were the guardianship papers for Zia to sign.

Mimi entered the dressing room. Sure enough, Zia was sitting at her station putting on make-up like she didn't have a care in the world. Mimi leaned against the wall by Zia's station.

"I need to talk to you," she said firmly. Zia didn't stop what she was doing.

"About what?"

"Dani." Zia shrugged simply.

"Not my problem anymore." Zia looked up. "I'm free to live my life however I want without being tied down by that little whiny brat."  
"She's your sister!"

"And she required twenty-four/seven care. I'm glad she's gone. This past week and a half have let me live me life how I like it."

"You mean as a crack whore?"

"You work here too, honey." Mimi got in Zia's face.

"The only difference between me and you is that I'm trying turn my life around," she growled. Zia stared at Mimi.

"Is there a reason you're here?" she asked as she went back to her make-up. Mimi pulled the paperwork out of her purse.

"I need you to sign this."

"Why?"

"It's so my boyfriend and I can become Dani's legal guardians."  
"Give me the pen." Mimi handed Zia a pen. "And she won't be my problem anymore?" Mimi nodded. Zia couldn't sign the papers fast enough.

"Thank you, Zia."

"No, thank _you_." Mimi put the papers in her purse and left to go back home.

As Mimi walked down the street, she couldn't help but feel spite for Zia. She didn't give a damn about Dani.

"Mimi!" Mark called from behind Mimi. She spun around to see Mark running up the street towards her. "Hey, where're you going?"

"Home, I found Zia." Mark fell into step next to Mimi. "The bitch could hardly sign the papers fast enough." Mark sighed.

"I just can't believe some people. How'd you find Zia?  
"She was a coworker of mine. I never liked her." Mark and Mimi entered their building.

"Is Dani with Roger?" Mimi nodded.

"Yeah, she threw a fit when I left. I felt kinda bad for Roger for leaving her with him like that."

"He'll get over it."

Mark slid open the loft door and stopped. Roger was lying on his back on the couch, fast asleep. Lying on top of him, with her teddy bear, was Dani.

"Oh, look at them," Mimi whispered. Mark whipped out his camera. How could he pass up a moment like this? Mimi went to go pick Dani up and put her to bed.

As she put her to bed, Dani mumbled, "Goodnight, Mommy." Mimi kissed her cheek softly.

"Goodnight, mija." Mimi tucked Dani in, turned off the light and left the room.

Roger was sitting on the couch, stretching, when Mimi came out of Dani's room. Mimi went over and pulled the half-asleep Roger to his feet.

"Come on baby, let's go to bed," she said. She gently pulled Roger to their room for the night.

Right away, Roger lay down on the bed and draped his arm over his eyes. Mimi got changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed next to him.

"Looks like someone had fun tonight," she commented. Roger groaned.

"We played that damn game, _Perfection_, for nearly an hour." Mimi laughed.

"Did you win?"

"No," Roger snapped. Mimi nuzzled his neck.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. Did you have fun with Dani though?"

"Yeah, I guess so. She's a sweet kid and everything." Mimi grabbed the blanket on the bed and pulled it over her and Roger.

"So, you think you can do this; take care of Dani and all?" she asked hopefully. Roger stopped to think.

"Yeah, I think I do this. That is, if you found Zia and got her to sign the papers." Smiling, Mimi sat up to face Roger. "You got the papers signed?" Mimi nodded.

"I got the papers signed!" Roger sat up and pressed his lips against Mimi's. "Can you believe it? Dani's as good as ours now!" Roger pulled a giddy Mimi into a warm hug. Things were finally looking up for them.

**A/N:** Next chapter is the last.

Tina101


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Dani sat on the couch staring at the door, waiting. Mimi, Collins and Maureen were all gathered in the kitchen. Mimi looked at Dani and laughed.

"Dani, baby, staring at the door won't bring him home sooner," she said. That didn't stop Dani from her dedicated task of staring at the door and waiting for it to slide open.

Finally, the loft door slid open. In a flash, Dani was on her feet. She flew across the loft in record time and flung herself into Roger's arms.

"Roger!" she exclaimed. Roger gave Dani a hug and a kiss.

"Hey Dani, how as your day?"

"Mommy and I went to the park." Roger put Dani down. He couldn't figure out why she called Mimi "Mommy" but him "Roger." It was a mystery.

Roger went over to the kitchen to join his friends. He wrapped his arms around Mimi's waist and kissed her cheek softly.

"Hey Mo, Thomas," he said. "Where's Joanne?"

"At work. She said that she'd meet us here," Maureen replied. Dani went over and tugged on Roger's jeans.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Up!" Dani ordered. Roger picked her up.

"You know, you're going to get too big for this soon." Dani shook her head and rested it on Roger's shoulder. Maureen snickered. "What?"

"I never thought I'd ever see the pretty boy front man become so attached to a kid," Maureen replied.

"Shove it, Maureen." Roger fixed his grip on Dani. In truth, he had never imagined that he would become so close to Dani either.

By the time Joanne arrived at the loft, Mark had gotten home from work. All the Bohemians were gathered around the loft eating pizza.

"Hi Pookie!" Maureen exclaimed. Joanne leaned over and pecked her on the lips. "What took you so long?"  
"Well, I made a stop at the courthouse," Joanne replied as she dug around in her briefcase. She turned to Roger and Mimi. "You two are now Dani's legal parents." Mimi stood up.

"Are you serious?" she asked. Joanne nodded. Mimi rushed over and gave her a huge hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she gushed. Joanne returned the hug.

"You're welcome, Meems; I'm glad I could help." Dani looked at Roger with confusion written across her face.

"What's that mean?" she asked.

"It means that Roger and Mimi are officially your Mom and Dad," Collins replied. Dani's eyes got wide.

"Really?"

"Yep," Maureen chirped. Dani scrambled up onto Roger's lap.

"So you're my Daddy now?" Dani paused for a second while she wrapped her mind around this concept. "Cool!" Everyone laughed.

"Come give Aunt Joanne a hug," Mimi said through tears. Dani got up and gave Joanne a hug.

"Why are you crying, Mommy?" Mimi waved off the comment.

"They're happy tears, mija, don't you worry." Collins refilled everyone's vodka and handed out the cups.

"To Dani!" he bellowed.

"To Dani!" everyone repeated happily.

Later that night, Roger was trying to get Dani to bed. Unfortunately for him, she had other plans; she was all wound up from everyone being over and was jumping on her bed.

"Come on Dani, time for bed," Roger said. Dani jumped off the bed and into his arms.

"I wanna sleep in bed with you and Mommy," she said happily.

"Oh you do, do you? Well, I have to check with the boss." Dani giggled.

"Why do you call Mommy 'the boss'?" she asked.

"Don't tell anyone, but Mommy gets fussy if she doesn't get her way. Now, don't tell anyone, okay?" Roger whispered.

"Okay," Dani whispered back with a serious look on her face.

"Now, let's see if we can win Mommy over." Roger carried Dani over to his room.

Mimi had just crawled into bed when Roger cam into the room carrying Dani. Mimi sat up when she saw them.

"Goodnight honey," she said.

"I wanna sleep in here with you," Dani said.

"You do?" Mimi turned to Roger. "Did you tell her that she could?"  
"I told her that it was up to you," Roger replied. Mimi sighed.

"Please, Mommy?"  
"Okay, come here." Roger put Dani on the bed and changed for bed. he crawled into bed on the other side of Dani. He leaned over her and kissed Mimi.

"Eww!" Dani squealed. Roger broke off the kiss and laid back down.

"That better?" he asked. Dani curled up and hugged her teddy bear close to her chest.

"Yes," she mumbled. Roger kissed her cheek.

"Night Dani, Night Meems, I love you."

"Love you too, babe," Mimi replied sleepily.

"Night Mommy, goodnight, Daddy; I love you," Dani said before falling asleep.

**The End**


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